Kayak instructors

?


A free speech Forum in America is for civil reasoned opinion and thought not judgement.



You owe the poster that.



As I wrote, I’m eating lunch using your thoughts for broadening my knowledge thru the internet.



Surely, I would not think of your thoughts without help from the free speech forum. God forbid !

troll all you want
The rest of us are just trying to caution new forum members. Anyone here long enough to read your posts can figure out the value of your contributions.

a new teacher to the area
A friend of mine recently relocated to MI to take a job at U of MI (he is one of those PhD types for his day job). He taught kayaking out here a lot, is an ACA Level 5 instructor, and even was president of the Bay Area Sea Kayakers for a while. Loves the sport. Great guy and great teacher, if you ever find your way down that way. His name is Steve Lidia. Looks like he is teaching for a shop called The Power of Water in Lansing.

datakoll’s posts
seem like what you’d get if you combined one of those refrigerator magnet word games with a hand grenade.

My thinking
Based on your description as having done a fair amount of self-study and practice, my sense is that unless you are focusing on a few discrete skills (e.g. rolling), you might be better off trying to arrange for at least one private session with an instructor that comes well recommended. This would allow the instructor to identify where your relative strengths and weaknesses are, and recommend potential drills/classes/etc that would help you get the most bang for your buck, both in terms of time and dollars.

I like it!
In fact we have some of those word magnets on the fridge right now. :slight_smile:

more trolling
As a general category ‘INSTRUCTOR’ you experience several positive teaching inputs. The instructor can alert you to basic flaws in your activity, try helping you correct, and urge practice.



The video route, you have a practice area, surpasses what an instructor can offer. The video is well thought out and planned, an on water session not so much.



A group on water experience plays out as peer group support prodded as that by the instructor, milked. Could be the peer group effect is the most important effect of the instructor experience…unless your paddle is held backwards.



I’m advocating the double float hip snap practice as vastly superior to anything an instructor can provide.



Buy one foam paddle float, one inflatable float and USK Horodowitch’s bracing video. With both float attached you may lean your kayak 90 degrees to the water surface, stretch out one arm on paddle shaft supported by floats !



Hip snap ! experience the hull’s edging areas, practice slap bracing then take the bladder float off and practice rolling.



Buy Ford’s video.



The instructor cannot coordinate this experience as you by yourself practicing. Instruction here is only confusing.



The double float practice is like electricity. Instructors are like before electricity.



BTW, Paddlenet sells this stuff ?



Troll Out to two float practice.

Now, THAT’S a good one

– Last Updated: Jun-10-14 7:34 PM EST –

I still say it's too much drug use. But I'm getting a kick out of the imagery you provided!

Lansing
Thanks for the info. Have noted his name. The lovely Red Cedar River flows thru the MSU campus. Never kayaked it, but have walked along it plenty of times years ago.

Bingo.
You’ve precisely described what I’m looking for right now. While I’m signing up for the session with John Chase in August, I think I would benefit from paddling with an expert who could point out the errors of my present ways - before I get too set in them. I have no desire whatsoever to attempt learn how to roll my Necky Rip. I don’t think it is a kayak designed for that purpose. Capsize and re-enter it? Yes, and that will be handled in the August session, or maybe before. I have a pontoon boat with a swim ladder and a couple of neighbors who would probably be amused to see me flounder around while they sit in my pontoon, shouting encouragement. Actually, that might be fun on a hot July day.

Interesting
Though I have to wonder if “stir-the-pot” might be a better handle for you. :slight_smile:



Yes, videos are wonderful. By studying them I’ve learned how to move my kayak forward and backward, how to turn it, and how to move it sideways. But anyone can manage that, even without videos.



The problem with videos is the lack of creative feedback and outside analysis of the student’s movement. You can’t ask a video questions. Nor will a video tell you if you’re holding your paddle backwards.



So while I’ll continue studying videos, I’d like someone to watch what I’m doing and tell me that a) I’m doing it correctly, or b) doing it wrong - and then suggest how to fix it. It makes no difference if you learn something in a class or in a private session, it’s still education.



Thank you for your suggestion about the Hordowitch video. Do you have a link where it’s sold?




that would be Michigan State
Not U of M -



U of M is Ann Arbor



the Harvard of the Midwest

double float
Remember public school ? Examine teacher quality.



Worse, a number of instructor based ‘accidents’ suggests training may not be similar.



No, you did not learn to turn your kayak. Turning involves body movements finesse as with surf boarding, luge. Against the hull design/water currents.



Once past basic paddle manipulation.



The kayak is paddled as a violin plays, not a fiddle.



My observation is instructors do not have skills coordinating what they see to what you should do at that level, beyond holding the paddle.



But you do…we can give you that despite your mis-brained attempt to name me.



The video’s are thought out by expert instructors for application to your viewing and PRACTICE.



The place where the double float activates as a major learning tool. The float allows direct sensation of kayak and body at a comfortable speed allowing analysis then muscle planning …back into the video learning experience.



So with practice you go back and forth video to brain to flat to brain to video…



then you roll and brace off video instruction.



Should be obvious that is not possible in a school situation. School’s too quick, transient, for some emphemeral. A blur.



try the double float. Video’s are sold here in Paddlenet with Ford’s last on the page.



‘datakoll’ is a science based name game based on the animal behavior research I pursue with Orca/Boat tail grackles and humpbacks soon off Point Adolphus.



this is a public service message








you need to work on your vocabulary

– Last Updated: Jun-11-14 10:24 AM EST –

When you describe and recommend the "double-float" technique, you are, in fact, instructing. Only in your case you're not very adept.

If what you said was true, you could just throw a pair of paddle-floats to someone, or a blank DVD, and say, "figure it out".

I'm sorry you had such a damaging experience at the hands of bad instructors. But I'd take a good instructor over a video any day of the week. You can't interact with a video and a video can't adapt teaching methods to fit a student.

Lastly I'd like to know your credentials regarding observing instructors. You seem to want to have the last word regarding instructors, which really needs some support other than a bunch of words and phrases mashed together where they don't belong.

so now you’re blaming your public school
It’s probably important at this point to ask your teachers what kind of student you were. And what happened.

This
is funny…and very entertaining , Once you actually learn to roll, I hope you saved these posts to read.



By the way there are two different types of kayaks as far as rolling goes, those that roll like planks and those that roll like logs…different methods in the teaching…

Best Wishes

Roy

And you don’t understand violins either
I play violin in classical orchestras and spend occasional time with fiddlers. Between your rigid attitude and butchering the language I suspect further development of that simile would place the posts clearly into the land of LSD.

my bad
Michigan has more than 1 school?!? Just kidding.



I don’t know Michigan well, just that he left the coastal paddling center of the world known as Northern California for there. He is having fun gloating about the house he bought for what we would consider a down payment, but that is just getting us back for when we were gloating about going out paddling and his local waterways were kinda hard and cold.

Good thread
Yes, it has been a fun and informative read. Thank you for the good wishes. Was your profile photo taken this spring on Lake Superior? Heard the ice finally melted around June 3-4.

I hope he can keep a secret
That had to be tough making that move - Lansing is as landlocked as you can get here - but I’ve a feeling he’s going to like the coastal paddling he finds here.